Starbucks Holiday Cups Face Controversy For Being LGBTQ Friendly

It's all because of a video.

In 2015, Starbucks completely revamped its famous holiday cups in favor of a minimalist red ombre design. The company's VP of design said the new aesthetic was for "embracing the simplicity and the quietness" of the holiday seasons. And this year, it appears as though Starbucks is embracing its LGBTQ customers — or so some people think.

Earlier this month, Starbucks unveiled its new holiday cups: a white design with cute to-be-colored doodles of presents, Christmas trees, Starbucks cups, and two hands holding each other beneath a heart. Then, on Wednesday, BuzzFeed published a theory that the cup depicts a same-sex couple holding hands. Although the cups themselves don't show any people (and hands aren't gendered, anyway), many people think the hands in question belong to the couple in Starbucks' ad for its new holiday cups. In the video, two women in a relationship share a (presumably Starbucks-branded) cup of coffee as fireworks burst overhead.

Many people are lauding Starbucks for its representation of same-sex couples, tweeting their praise at the company and, in Takeout managing editor Jen Sabella's case, writing an appreciative op-ed. Conversely, the cup has also enraged some conservatives who are accusing Starbucks of pushing a "gay agenda." (Remember, these are the same-minded people who said the 2015 red cup "denies the hope of Jesus.")

Starbucks, in a recent statement to BuzzFeed, did not confirm or denied whether the hands belong to a same-sex couple. Instead the company said it "will continue to embrace and welcome customers from all backgrounds and religions in our stores around the world." The company did, however, tweet a thank-you at one Twitter user who praised the company for a campaign featuring a "lesbian couple."